Superagent Leon Rose is still leaving CAA to run the Knicks.
However, Williams Wesley — better known to fans as “Worldwide Wes,” a man with incredible influence on players as a friend and father figure — will not be joining him, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.After internal discussions with the New York Knicks occurred about the possibility of “Worldwide Wes” joining the franchise in a front office role alongside player agent Leon Rose, William Wesley is no longer expected to join the franchise in any formal capacity, league sources have told The Athletic...
It is believed that the Knicks would surely have a position for Wesley should he have an interest in a front-office role, but that his other business ventures make a formal title unlikely.
Officially, Rose has yet to be named the Knicks new president because he has to divest himself and find new agents for his clients (Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, Karl Anthony-Towns, Carmelo Anthony, and many others).
While Wesley has worked as a consultant with Rose, and been involved in a number of businesses over the years, he has worked in the shadows of the NBA. Those businesses may be so lucrative and/or intricately tied up that him getting out of them for a role with the Knicks was neither easy or wise.
Rose’s task is to come in and change the culture of the Knicks, building an organization and foundation on the court that elite players will want to join. It’s not an easy task, nor is it something that can be done in 18 months. Owner James Dolan needs to be patient — Knicks fans are smart, they can be patient and hopeful if they see a plan and smart moves to further that direction. The franchise has been rudderless — or, not sticking with one plan long enough — for so many years that fans just want, and deserve, real hope.
Maybe Rose can pull that task off, but he’ll be doing it without Worldwide Wes by his side.
